Nick Cardy is best known for his comic book work, joining DC comics in the 50s and working as an artist on titles such as Aquaman and Teen Titans, before leaving in the 70s to work in commercial art and films (he designed the artwork for Coppola’s Apocalypse Now). Before the comics came a-calling however, he was one of the young American’s shipped overseas to fight in World War II; and this handsome book collects together some drawings and paintings he made in a sketchbook that accompanied him right across Europe. “Ordinary” soldiers in the 40s, of course, didn’t carry around cameras with them, so Cardy’s sketchbook became the perfect method for capturing the sights he witnessed, from GIs getting dressed to actual battle scenes. The drawings have an extraordinary intimacy, and capture a real sense of camaraderie, with Cardy’s style having the necessary fluidity which must have been essential in their execution. His illuminating commentary (he’s still alive today) only adds to their worth.